Weekly Outlook for the Hydrogenated Benzene Market

I. Key Points

Last week, international crude oil prices surged significantly. WTI accumulated a gain of USD 1.86/barrel, while Brent rose by USD 6.86/barrel.
Sinopec’s posted price for pure benzene in East China remained stable last week at CNY 10,600/ton.
The domestic operating rate for hydrogenated benzene increased by 1.06% to 60.90% last week.
On October 19, the total commercial inventory of pure benzene at Jiangsu ports (sample basis) was 44,000 tons, a drawdown of 6,000 tons from the previous period’s 50,000 tons.
The spread between crude benzene and hydrogenated benzene narrowed last week, reducing profits for hydrogenated benzene producers in Shandong to CNY 398/ton.

II. Price Table

Units: USD/barrel, CNY/ton, USD/ton

Product	Region/Category	Oct 23	Oct 16	Change	% Change
Crude Oil	Brent	116.72	109.86	+6.86	+4.91%
Pure Benzene	Sinopec Posted Price	10,600	10,600	0	0.00%
	CFR China	1,270	1,253	+17	-2.72%
	FOB Korea	1,241	1,220	+21	-2.17%
	Shandong	10,373	10,300	+73	-2.38%
	East China	10,550	10,300	+250	-3.74%
Crude Benzene	Shandong	8,250	8,425	-175	+1.51%
	Shanxi	8,230	8,280	-50	+2.22%
	Tangshan, Hebei	8,280	8,450	-170	+2.42%
	Handan-Xingtai, Hebei	8,250	8,425	-175	+2.68%
Hydrogenated Benzene	Shandong	10,350	10,225	+125	-2.62%
	Hebei	10,175	10,450	-275	+0.48%
	Shanxi	9,975	10,300	-325	+1.48%
	East China	10,475	10,275	+200	-3.52%
Styrene	East China	11,520	10,960	+560	-3.48%
Phenol	East China	9,400	9,350	+50	0.00%
Aniline	Shandong	16,600	16,100	+500	+5.92%
Cyclohexanone	East China	11,625	11,625	0	+2.42%
Adipic Acid	East China	10,050	10,050	0	+0.50%
Caprolactam	East China	13,900	14,300	-400	+0.70%

Data Source: Chempricehub

III. Data Table

Hydrogenated Benzene Industry Supply & Demand Data

Indicator	Oct 15	Oct 22	Change Rate	Weekly Outlook
Capacity Utilization Rate	59.84%	60.90%	+1.06%	↗
Production Profit	410	398	-12	↑
Note 1: Capacity utilization rate refers to the proportion of capacity from idle units relative to total capacity, serving as a production indicator.
Note 2: Production profit is an industry-level figure reflecting the profitability of hydrogenated benzene units in Shandong. Unit: CNY/ton.

Data Source: Chempricehub

IV. Market Outlook

Last week, the domestic hydrogenated benzene market fluctuated at high levels with frequent price movements. Instability in the Middle East caused volatile crude oil trends, affecting sentiment in both futures and spot markets for pure benzene, which in turn led to fluctuations in hydrogenated benzene prices. Over the weekend, tensions in the Middle East escalated again, causing crude oil closing prices to surge. This pushed Shandong pure benzene prices slightly higher; however, weak downstream margins reduced rigid demand, and traders' purchasing enthusiasm remained low. Consequently, the sustainability of the price increase in Shandong pure benzene is questionable, which may impact today's pricing decisions by hydrogenated benzene factories.

V. Data Calendar

Data Item	Release Date	Previous Period	Current Trend Forecast
Pure Benzene Port Inventory	Monday 11:00 AM	44,000 tons	↗
Note 1: ↓↑ indicates significant volatility, highlighting data dimensions with changes exceeding 3%. Note 2: ↗↘ indicates narrow-range volatility, highlighting data dimensions with changes within 0-3%.

Cookie Preferences

Essential Cookies

Analytics Cookies

ChemPriceHub